


Alluring

by DreamChild31



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Butterbeer (Harry Potter), F/M, Full Moon, Hogsmeade, Hogsmeade Dates, Hogwarts, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Merry Christmas, One Shot, Shrieking Shack, Werewolf, dance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28311345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamChild31/pseuds/DreamChild31
Summary: A dreary prefect patrol on Christmas Eve does not go as planned for Lily Evans when she encounters James Potter being chased by Filch. Who knew Filch had the power to bring two people together for a magical date in Hogsmeade village and a dance in the snow?Full moon is always a lonely affair for Remus Lupin, being trapped in his own body and not remembering the events that took place. This time with the other Marauders unable to accompany him, his dread for the ordeal had skyrocketed. But Sirius Black can’t let his friend suffer alone, can he? What follows is a not so perfect night of a lifetime.Four people, one perfect night. Boundaries breaking, heartbeat quickening, eyes connecting, a whirlwind of emotions.(This is a oneshot with my spin on the universe made by JKR)
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Jily - Relationship, Marauders & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	Alluring

**Author's Note:**

>   
> I hope you enjoy:)

“Run!” James Potter shouted as he threw a cloak over Lily and sprinted across the corridor.

Lily Evans had been doing her prefect patrols on the Ground Floor. It was dreary without Remus’s company who had fallen sick. She had yawned for the thirteenth time when footfalls ringed her ears. On turning around, she was met with Potter dashing towards her and yelling at her to run.

“What are you doing Potter?” Lily wasn’t sure why they were running or if she should even trust him.

“It’s Filch,” he was breathing heavily in between his words, “I set off dungbombs in his office and he’s gone bonkers.”

Now that Lily could believe. They raced up the stairs, Filch hot on their heels. She glanced back and found him glaring right at them. Horrified, she hurried behind Potter. What was he thinking when he threw the cloak over the two of them? It slowed their escape and certainly didn’t hide them from Filch. 

On the fourth floor, Potter took a turn and led her across the corridor. She had no time to question his actions because the ornate mirror placed in the corner had drawn her eyes. Words she couldn’t decipher were carved on the golden frame and the whole thing stood on clawed legs. The mirror was a thing of beauty.

But beautiful still was the reflection. It showed her standing there but instead of Potter it was Petunia, in Hogwarts robe, who was beside her. Lily was transfixed. Unaware she took a step forward and glided one hand over Tuney’s blonde hair and Tuney smiled.

She actually smiled!

Lily’s breath hitched. She had forgotten how radiant her sister’s smile was. Her whole face lit up and her pale eyes twinkled through the mirror. The last time Lily had witnessed it was her eleventh birthday, before Dumbledore had knocked on their door with her Hogwarts acceptance letter, before their relationship was broken beyond repair. Lily tilted her head and unconsciously beamed.

A nudge on the shoulder and she glanced up at Potter who was waving his arm at her. His lips were moving but the words coming out failed to reach her through the fog of elation that clung to her. Distressed, he ran a hand through his hair. She turned back to the mirror.

Was that? Was that Severus standing on her other side? A red muffler around his neck and a grin on his face. He looked happier like an eleven year boy telling her all about a magical world which her own eleven year old self had never seen. A boy who didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘mudblood.’

Two arms grabbed the mirror and swung it sideways to reveal a stone arch beyond which laid a narrow passage. Lily blinked, the spell was broken. The fog lifted from her mind and her senses kicked back in. There were more pressing matters at hand. Filch’s footsteps scuffled behind them, accompanied by Mrs. Norris and her meow’s serving as a reminder to make haste.

Potter ushered her inside and followed. The mirror swung inwards sealing them in inky blackness. She shrugged out of his cloak and moved away from him. Seeing her sister and Snape’s face had brought back a longing, an ache she thought she’d buried earlier. A gust of cold air blew in, sending a shiver down her body. She had forgone her cloak earlier, ignorant of the turn her evening would take.

“Lumos.” 

She whipped her face towards Potter, his upper body illuminated by his wand’s light. The messy shock of his hair, the bridge of his nose where his glasses hung crooked, all of them vexed her. Fury blazed through her veins, and from the widening of his eyes, shone on her face too. She brought out her wand and pointed it under his chin, on the hollow of his neck where his pulse fluttered faster than a butterfly’s wings.

“Six years. Six years and never have I once received detention. Until today.”

“You were worried about that? Thank God! I thought this time I had done it, I had offended you for good.”

Lily’s nostrils flared but her wand was steady. “Your actions never fail to anger me, you annoying toerag.” She spun on her heels and walked away before she could do anything she’d regret later.

“Evans, wait!”

Lily sprinted, her robes flapping at the ankles but his long strides caught up to her and matched hers. Minutes flew by, how many, she couldn’t guess but the passage turned steeper and steeper and by that time she was panting from the effort.

“What is this place?” She asked once they had exited the passage and entered what appeared to be a barn room. A window was open through which icy wind swooped in. She walked towards the window and clutched the sill. The whole landscape outside was bathed in white. His body heat warmed her as he stood beside her, the side of her face burning under his stare but she refused to face him.

“I don’t know, we call it the Room. The passage we just came through, it’s a secret passage that leads out of the school. You see that path over there?”

He pointed for her benefit. She had to squint to make it out through the flurry of snow. Only parts of gravel were peeking out to mark the path. He continued after she nodded. “It leads to Hogsmeade village, 5 to 10 minutes of walk. We used to sneak out to the village using that before we learned to apparate. Must be Sirius or Peter who left the window open.”

He reached across her to lower the shutters and his arm brushed her in the process. She ignored the quickening of her pulse and backed to sit on the lone bench at the corner of the room, waiting until he moved closer before firing off the next question. “And the mirror? What was that? It doesn’t just show us our reflections, does it?”

“No. I don’t know who put it there or what it is. Sirius stumbled upon it when he was hiding from Filch in our first year. Said he desperately wanted to get away from Filch when he found it. It showed him the four of us laughing and then all of us were going down a steep passage. That’s when the mirror swung open to reveal the passage. All four of us see different things when we look at it. What did you see?”

She looked up from her lap. “What did you see?”

His mouth tightened and his eyes had a strange emotion swirling through the liquid chocolate. He ran a hand through his hair, messing it further as his fingers combed through. “Never mind.”

She was lost in her own thoughts and was snapped out of it when Potter called her name. He had stopped pacing and was watching her.

“About that detention earlier,” he swallowed and his left hand rubbed the back of his neck, “you won’t get into trouble.”

She straightened. “What do you mean I wouldn’t get into trouble?”

“I mean Filch didn’t see you. He didn’t see me either. Remember the cloak I threw over you? It was an invisibility cloak. See?” 

Lily gasped when Potter draped the cloak around his shoulders and only his face was visible. To tell the truth, he looked quite idiotic, a lone head floating in the air. 

“So this must be how you escaped detection all these years. Everyone knows it’s you guys spreading mayhem but you rarely get caught.” Potter removed the cloak and dumped it on her lap. It was made of supple leather and was quite lightweight. 

“Wait,” she faced him, “you’re telling me this cloak renders the wearer invisible?”

He nodded.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s head back to the castle.”

She stood up but Potter clutched her wrist to stop her. 

“Not so fast Evans. Filch might have not seen us but he had chased us all the way to the mirror. He would still be lurking around to catch us. I don’t want him to know about this passage. I say, we better wait till the morning.”

She huffed. “It’s entirely your fault we’re stuck here.”

“Well I’m not sorry. It got you stuck here with me for the night, didn’t it.” There was mirth in his eyes and a smirk on his lips which only irritated Lily further. She smacked the back of his head and that shameless person started laughing. Lily tried to keep a straight face, she really did, but ended up laughing along with him. Maybe the day’s tiredness was catching up with her and making her emotions go haywire.

“Why did you plant those dungbombs under his desk anyway?” she asked once their laughter had subsided. Though Filch was no face of innocence, the Marauders always managed to piss him off for petty or no reasons.

“Well it’s the first day of Christmas break and Sirius and Peter landed up in detention. Remus, of course, won’t risk his prefect’s position to get them off the hook so naturally the task to rescue them went to me. Did a bloody good job at it too, I’d wager.” Potter stood up and offered her a hand. “Anyway, let’s leave the boring shit behind. Care for a stroll outside?”

“In this weather?”

“You could stay here if you want but it’d take me a while to return. I need to buy a few things and now’s as good a time as any.”

Lily gave him a side eye. On one hand she didn’t want to go outside but on the other she didn’t trust Potter to return soon. If she tagged along with him, then maybe she could convince him to return to the castle sooner. Afterall, he was the one with invisibility cloak.

She ignored his hand and stood up. 

“You’d freeze your cute little arse if you go outside like this. Here take this.” Potter shrugged out of his sweater and handed it to her. 

“What about you? Won’t you be cold too?”

“Nah, I’d manage. Come.” He beckoned her. 

She placed his arm on his and felt the familiar pull of apparition sucking her in. A moment of darkness, of nothingness and the next moment she was in the Hogsmeade village. She exhaled through her mouth and the white mist hovered in front of her before dissipating in the air. It was less nauseous than the first time she had managed it. She looked down and was glad none of them got splinched. It would’ve been difficult to explain to Madam Pomphrey why one of their fingers was missing. 

The weather here was more forgiving than outside the Room which was on a much higher ground, between Dervish and Banges and the caves above the village. She turned towards Potter whose glasses had fogged over. Instead of wiping them clean as any sane person would, he let the fog evaporate, a silly smile flitting on his lips as his vision slowly cleared.

“Where to?” 

“Gladrags Wizardwear first.” He took her hand in his but she wrenched it away. He clenched his jaw but didn’t say anything. 

Guilt trickled in. True he annoyed her but Lily didn’t hate him enough to hurt him intentionally. It was the abruptness of the action that startled her into whisking her hand out of his hold. She wanted to say something, anything, but his brusque gait stifled any sounds that wanted to escape from her throat.

In stony silence, they trudged along, gravel crunching under their feet and the wet seeping into their shoes. Most of the shops were open on account of the holiday season and witches and wizards loitered the aisles in the shops. They halted in front of the dainty shop. Two windows, painted pink, bulged outwards on the either sides of the door and extended upwards till the second storey in the infamous Hogsmeade style. A green banner announced the name of the shop, ‘Since 1750’ printed beneath it in strokes of skillful calligraphy, and a handsome black dress was on display. Potter opened the door for her before ushering her inside but didn’t look at her. 

Not once.

The inside of the shop was a warm respite and a stocky witch greeted them at the counter. “How can I help you today?”

“We’d like to see cloaks in the lady’s size and a sweater for myself.”

Lily turned towards Potter as he ran his hand through his hair while the shop assistant disappeared in the long stacks of boxes and hangers behind the counter. “You don’t have to buy anything for me.”

“I do have to. You think I don’t realise you were shivering the entire time. Your school uniform is not ideal for out here. You’ll fall sick.”

Lily didn’t argue further only because his words held logic. Though she was by no means unprivileged but her family was not so well off as the Potters and spending money so freely was an unfamiliar concept to her. “The first thing I’m gonna do as soon as we return to the castle is pay you back your money.”  
This time he did look at her.

“I’m serious. Or else I won’t accept anything.”

“Fine.”

The witch returned with three cloaks draped over her right arm and a pile of sweaters balanced on the left hand. Not wanting to appear choosy, Lily picked up the cloak which looked the comfiest. Her judgement proved out to be correct as soon as she slipped into it. The dark colour contrasted nicely with her red curls and brought out the green of her eyes. James, for his part, purchased a cashmere sweater much like the one he had lent Lily.

Once outside the boutique, he handed her a pouch that jingled with coins. “I’m heading to Zonko’s and then Spintwitches to check if the Quidditch stuff I ordered has arrived or not. Why don’t you go and buy us two butterbeers?”

Clutching the pouch in her fingers, she asked, “But how would you pay?”

At that, he chuckled. “Me? I’ve a tab at Zonko’s. I’d add today’s purchase to that. Besides,” he put his hand on her shoulder, “we’re their most loyal customers. Why I’d reckon Sirius and I contribute to almost half of their sales.”

He sauntered away from her and she stood staring at his back. Halfway, he glanced back and winked before hollering at her to bring some sweets from Honeydukes too if she wished. Maybe he wasn’t that bad.

The Three Broomsticks was overflowing with folk coming and going out, shopping bags in their hands, and in a rather peculiar case, levitating in front of them. By the time she received their drinks, James had returned and both of them had finished their pumpkin pasties that Lily had bought from Honeydukes along with cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs which she had saved for later.

After finishing the drinks, James held her hand and led her out of The Three Broomsticks. This time Lily let him interlace their fingers.

James shopped for christmas presents and Lily gave her inputs and suggestions in between. A luxury quill and premium ink from Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop for Peter, a book on DADA from Tomes and Scrolls for Remus, an assortment of hair products from the hairdressing salon across the street from Honeydukes for Sirius, an exotic plant from The Magic Keep for his mum and The Weird Sisters’s newest album from Dominic Maestro’s Music Shop for his dad. 

With bags on both of their hands, they strolled the streets of the village with enchanted candles hanging in the trees illuminating their path and the full moon casting long shadows behind their backs. The weather had toned down its ferocity and the festive mood made Lily feel more serene. Serene and a bit sleepy.

“Do you mind if we head back now? Not to the castle yet but to the Room.”

“Not so fast, I need to show you something.”

She scrunched her eyebrows. He almost looked nervous?

He rummaged through the bags and took out a small box tied with twine and placed it in between her hands, his lean fingers enveloping hers.

“What’s this?”

“I picked it up for you earlier while you weren’t noticing.”

“You didn’t have to.” She didn’t know why she was whispering.

“But I did. Tomorrow you’d be on the knight bus heading for London and I’d be at my room in Godric’s Hollow. And I had to give you something, even if just as a thank you for this memorable evening.”

She slowly loosened the twine, her heart beating like a drum, accompanying the soft Christmas carols playing in the headquarters of Wizarding Wireless Network near them. She slowly lifted the red lid. A glittering bracelet sat there with an oval cut emerald in the centre and smaller emeralds lining the delicate gold chain.

“Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

“It reminded me of your eyes. They’re beautiful.” 

She looked up and into his eyes, suddenly enraptured by the way they glowed in the Christmas lights. Look away or keep looking, she couldn’t decide, afraid she would get lost into them if she kept looking or get lost without them if she shifted her gaze. Behind his askew glasses, she could see herself in his eyes, she could see a thousand emotions whirling and for the first time she wondered how it would be to stay with him, frozen in this moment forever.

He slowly raised the bracelet from the cushion, without breaking eye contact, and slipped it on her wrist. The metal cooled her skin but she was warm inside, a tornado raged inside her making her feel dizzy.

“Merry Christmas.” And he gave her boyish smile, with his dimples on display. But then he moved away. Why did he move away?

Struck with a daring she moved towards him and tugged at his hands. Surprise etched on his face.

“Come dance with me.”

“Here?”

“Yes here James.” She smiled.

“But I don’t know foxtrot.” His hand came to rest on her waist.

“Well, neither do I. Just twirl me in the air.” And twirl he did. He dipped her and caught her. His hands lifted her above the ground and caught her. The world had faded. It was only her and him and the melody to which they danced. She was breathless, drunk on euphoria. The carol came to end still they continued swaying.

“Lily?”

“Hmm.” Her face was snuggled on his chest and his arms around her. It was the most comfortable position.

“You called me James earlier.”

“So?”

“You never call me that. It’s always Potter.”

She tilted her face up from his chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Potter.”

He raised his eyebrow and gave her a suggestive look. “You don’t?”

“Nope. And before I forget, detention, Potter, for roaming out in the corridors after hours. And for abducting a prefect out of school grounds.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for giving my work a chance, I hope you enjoyed it and it didn't feel like a waste of time. I tried not to make any grammatical or spelling error but if I did, I would really appreciate if you would correct me since English isn't my first language.  
> I do have plans to upload the second part of it titled 'Full Moon' which would follow Remus and Sirius. I will put it up sometime in January.  
> Also if you enjoyed it, I would really appreciate it if you would leave a kudo or even a comment. It would encourage me to write more and improve my skills. Any constructive feedback is welcome.  
> Merry Christmas!


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